Sanitary toothbrush holder



F my 19%; c. v. LINDBLOOM El AL 2393391135 SANITARY TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Oct. 12, 1934 FIG. 3

INVENTORS CHARLLS l L/NDBLOOM LILY I/l/. L/NOBLO0M ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 18, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2,031,115 SANITARY TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Charles V. Lindbloom and Lily W. Lindbloom,

Cranford, N. J. 7

Application October 12, 1934, Serial No. 748,064

4 Claims. (Cl. 206-151) This invention relates to an improvement inv A further object of the invention is to pro-,

vide a sanitary tooth brush holder which will 10 admit of insertion and removal of the tooth brush without inconvenience to the user.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved sanitary holder for the bristle end of a tooth brush which will hold the 15 tooth brush upright with the handle portion thereof uppermost and readily accessible to the user; which will permit the brush to be withdrawn therefrom by merely lifting the brush; in which the holder will remain open until reinsertion of the brush; and which will be closed automatically by the dropping of the brush into the holder.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawing of 25 which:-

Fig. 1 is a side view of our improved tooth brush holder showing, in dotted lines, a tooth brush held therein.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the device shown in Fig. 1 but with the hinged cover thereof in open position to which it is moved by removal of the brush.

Fig. 3 is a front view of Fig. 1, also with the cover in open position.

35 Fig. 4 is a plan view of the improved holder.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the invention is shown as comprising a supporting plate I adapted to be secured to a wall or other suitable support by cement, screws or other pre- 40 ferred means. To the forward face of the plate there is secured a supporting bracket 2 having forwardly extending opposed spring fingers 3 and 4 constituting a substantially C-shaped clamp adapted to embrace and grip the outer 45 walls of a vertically disposed housing 5, preferably of glass, celluloid or other transparent material adapted to receive the bristle end of the tooth brush. The upper end of the housing 5 is preferably flared outwardly, as shown at 5 to 50 provide an annular flange adapted to overlie the fingers 3 and 4 thereby to assist in retaining the housing between said fingers.

Hinged to the bracket 2, as by means of tangs 6 inserted into openings 1 in the bracket, is a cover 55 8 adapted to close the open upper end of the housing 5. A depending annular flange 8 on the cover 8 encloses the flared portion 5 of the housing. The cover is provided with a cut-out or aperture 9 through which the handle of the tooth brush is adapted to project, as shown in 5 Fig. 1.

Fixed to the underside of the cover 8 is an arm II] which loosely receives the upper hooked end of a depending wire 1 I formed at its lower end into a flat coil I2. This coil constitutes a plat- 10 form adapted to receive the lower end of the tooth brush when it is dropped into the holder.

At its lower end the housing 5 is provided with a drain aperture I3 to permit the escape of any water which may be in the brush when it is inserted in the holder, and adjacent its upper end it is provided with apertures 14 and 15, which with the aperture l3, permit a free circulation of air through the housing 5 thereby to dry the brush.

It will be noted that the bristle end of the brush is materially larger than the aperture 9 through which the handle projects, therefore upward movement of the brush, to remove it from the housing, will cause the bristles to engage the underside of the cover 8 and thereby tip it upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 in which position it remains due to overbalancing of the cover. When the brush is re-inserted into the holder the lower end thereof engages the platform 12 and the weight of the brush, acting through the wire I I, tips the cover forwardly and causes it to close the housing 5.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that we have provided a holder for tooth brushes which will effectively enclose the bristle end of the brush but which will present the handle thereof readily accessible to the user. It will also be apparent that the user is in nowise inconvenienced by the device inasmuch as he may readily remove the brush therefrom by merely lifting the brush and, due to the fact that the cover remains open upon removal of the brush, he may again readily insert the brush in the holder by dropping it therein, whereupon the cover is automatically closed by the weight of the brush.

Having thus revealed our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:--

l. A tooth brush holder comprising a support;

a vertically disposed housing carried by said support and adapted to receive the bristle end of a tooth brush, said housing having an open upper end; a cover for the open end of said housing hingedly connected with said support and arranged to remain in open position when moved thereto, said cover being formed with an aperture to permit passage of the handle of the tooth brush; means actuated by the weight of said brush when inserted into said housing to close said cover with the handle of the brush projecting through said aperture, the bristle portion of said brush being adapted to engage the underside of said cover and to tip it to open position by the removal of the brush from said holder.

2. A tooth brush holder comprising a vertically disposed housing having an open upper end; a support for said housing; a cover for the open end of said housing hingedly connected with said support, said cover being constructed and arranged to remain in open position when moved thereto; a vertically movable platform arranged within said housing intermediate its ends and adapted to receive the weight of said tooth brush; and an operative connection between said platform and said cover thereby to cause the weight of said brush to overbalance said cover and to close it upon said housing.

3. A tooth brush holder comprising a vertically arranged housing for the bristle end of a tooth brush, said housing having an open upper end; a support for said housing; a cover for the open upper end of said housing hingedly connected with said support and provided with a peripheral aperture for the handle of the brush, said cover being constructed and arranged to be moved to an overbalanced position in which it tends to remain open; an arm secured to said cover and arranged in a substantially horizontal position when said cover is open; and a vertically disposed wire located within said housing and having its upper end connected with said arm, the lower end of said wire being coiled to form a substantially horizontal platform adapted to receive the lower end of the brush when it is dropped into said housing whereby the weight of the brush acts to close said cover.

4. A tooth brush holder comprising a support provided with opposed supporting fingers; a vertically disposed housing frictionally held within said fingers, said housing being open at its upper end and provided with an annular flange overlying said fingers, said housing also being provided at its lower end with a drain aperture and adjacent its upper end with a plurality of apertures adapted to cooperate with the drain aperture to provide for circulation of air through said housing; a cover for said housing hinged to said support and adapted to remain in open position when moved thereto; a vertically movable platform located within said housing and adapted to receive the weight of a tooth brush inserted therein; and an operative connection between said platform and said cover whereby the weight of the brush causes said cover to be closed.

CHARLES V. LINDBLOOM. LILY W. LINDBLOOM. 

